³ Paul was a real evangelizer, a proclaimer of the good news. He learned of Jesus Christ, who through his death on the torture stake provided the means for taking away the sin of the world, and Paul learned about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Paul was so deeply appreciative of the significance of these things that he felt everyone should know about them. So he traveled thousands of miles, much of it on foot, preaching and teaching. He opened up new territory as a missionary would, and brought to many people of many nations the message that would provide them a basis for faith.

“The Word of Faith Which We Proclaim”

4. What was “the word of faith” that Paul proclaimed, and how did he share in proclaiming it?

⁴ Paul told people, as he wrote to the Romans: “‘The word is near you: it is upon your lips and in your heart.’ This means the word of faith which we proclaim.

(Rom. 10:8-10, The New English Bible) Paul spoke in synagogues, along river banks, in schools, in prison, in private homes, to all kinds of people, Jews and Greeks, and crowds of various sizes. When Paul spoke, the “word” was brought near them, so near that they could repeat it with their own lips and cherish it in their own hearts. Some did believe and exercise such faith in their hearts.

So, now, the “word” or message that “Jesus is Lord” was being proclaimed not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, to all the nations. This “word” from God is made readily available to people everywhere. Paul’s letter to the Romans said that the “word is near you: it is upon your lips and in your heart.” But what will the individual do about it? If the “word” really gets down into his heart he will believe. He will have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and as the one through whom God will carry out all His grand promises. (2 Cor. 1:20)

Paul was proclaiming “the word of faith.” What was that faith based on? There were two very definite things that Paul had in mind, and so must we 1,900 years later. To be a Christian one must hear “the word of faith” and be convinced (1) That Jesus, the Son of God, is Lord, that by his sacrificial death he purchased mankind and so he must be acknowledged by Christians as their owner; also, (2) That Jehovah God raised Jesus from the dead. Of course, you would want some proof of these two things since they are essential for one’s finding salvation, that is, finding everlasting life.​—2 Cor. 5:14, 15.